Police seek drive-by shooter

Family says enraged son, motivated by jealousy, shot at house, cars

August 25, 2007|By Jerome Burdi Staff Writer and Staff Researcher William Lucey contributed to this report.

Delray Beach — Dalis Bell's jealousy over his father's love of another son made him want to kill, authorities said.

About 10 p.m. Thursday his rage manifested in the drive-by shooting of his father's home in the 2900 block of Dorson Way, according to a police report.

Clifford Bell - a 47-year-old father of eight - was at home, getting a drink from the refrigerator, said his mother, Marjorie Cain. One of the assault rifle's bullets hit the refrigerator door, Cain said.

Neighbors said they heard someone shooting at the house again about 4 a.m. Friday. The bullets tore through a van, truck, garage and front of the home. Clifford Bell, the only one in the house, was uninjured.

Police are searching for his son, Dalis, 24, on an aggravated assault charge. At one point he spoke to a detective and told him he would not turn himself in because he was with a woman in Broward County.

"He was jealous of his brother," Cain, 68, said. "He's crazy. He wants to kill somebody."

Clifford Bell declined to comment.

In pursuit of the suspect, police crashed at Lake Ida Road and Congress Avenue about 10:40 p.m. The police cruiser had its siren on before the four-car crash, police spokesman Officer Jeff Messer said. The cruiser was destroyed.

The Sheriff's Office is investigating the crash. Three people suffered minor injuries in the crash, spokesman Paul Miller said. No details were available Friday.

Minutes later, police pulled their guns on the wrong man.

They followed Jason Matthews, 28, an assistant woman's basketball coach at Atlantic High School. He said he was on his way back from a football game there. Police said they followed him because his silver Chevrolet Impala matched the suspect's car.

Matthews said he was handcuffed and thrown to the floor in an aggressive manner. He was later released. Messer said no complaint had been filed and declined to comment.

Cain said she hopes police find her grandson. Dalis Bell has spent a total of two years in jail on two different convictions for drugs and aggravated battery, state records show. He got out of prison in June.

"I want them to get my grandson and put him in J-A-I-L," Cain said. "That's what I want. You do wrong, you get treated wrong."